The House at the End of the World

This is a masterclass in tension building. With a nod to Edgar Allan Poe and the early 1970s books of Crichton, Tryon and Levin, Koontz develops the character Katie who lives alone on a lighthouse coming to terms with a tragedy. The nearby island of Ringrock, she discovers is home to a government research facility and something over there has gone very wrong.

Koontz is a wonderful writer and a great observer of character. He keeps a tight reign on the plot and the jump scares when they come are well executed.

As good as King on a good day,… show more.

I never consider myself taking a chance on a story’s worth with this author. I picked this novel for my list based on its imagery and true-to-life characterization portrayed on the pages by a master wordsmith unlike any out there.

The suspense delivered in this story and the character’s battle against an unknown enemy in a secluded setting where she must rely on herself for survival kept me turning pages.

As always, Dean Koontz uses short, propulsive chapters and tons of dangling questions to make his long novels feel short.

This book is definitely the most exciting of his more recent work, focusing on a woman on the run from a mysterious, tragic past who takes refuge on a tiny island with just as many secrets as she has.

I love how Koontz raises the stakes with each short chapter, withholding answers until he slaps you across the face with them. 

Government meddling is the real monster of this story, which is hardly a surprise these days, and I was fascinated by the the alleged intention of the secretive alien life form. Whilst an engrossing read, it took a while to get to the alien persona involved and its apparent destiny and motives within our universe.

Heroine Katie is such an interesting, if conflicted, character and I would love to know how many such people exist in the real world. The advent of Libby is a much-needed catalyst to take the tale further and reach a fascinating finale.